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Supreme Court To Take Up Trump DC Hotel Case

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a closely-watched case on whether Democratic lawmakers can legally sue to obtain documents related to former President Donald Trump’s former Washington, D.C., hotel.

“The hotel documents have largely fallen out of focus in the dispute, as several lawmakers who filed the lawsuit have since left Congress or died, and Democrats obtained many of the requested materials through other means. But the case will more broadly impact how the minority party in Congress can scrutinize a presidential administration,” The Hill reported.

“Democrats, in seeking the documents, leveraged a federal law known as the ‘Seven Member Rule.’ It allows any seven members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability or any five members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee to ask for information within their purview from executive agencies. After a Trump-era agency declined to turn over the documents under the rule, Democrats sued to enforce their demand. In a brief, unsigned order on Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the lawmakers have legal standing to move ahead in their case,” the outlet added.

The case will be heard during the court’s next annual term, meaning a ruling will likely come down in 2024.

Attorneys for the Democratic lawmakers asked the justices to let the lower ruling stand.

“This case is a legal unicorn,” the lawmakers wrote in court filings. “There is no conflict among the circuits over standing under Section 2954. Indeed, only three times over the course of nearly a century have Members sued to enforce Section 2954, and neither of the earlier cases resulted in an appellate ruling on standing (or anything else).”

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Trump made headlines over the weekend amid new rumors surrounding his potential 2024 running mate.

Trump is likely to “stun the world” with his 2024 VP pick and actually lists three possible names: Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Arizona Republican Kari Lake, and South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem.

On Lake, the report states: “Lake certainly looked ascendant last fall when she was competing for Arizona’s governorship. She enjoyed Trump’s endorsement, and she enjoyed favorable coverage in conservative media. It’s not hard to understand why. Lake is a unique creature, spewing the hard right rhetoric that MAGA Nation finds so endearing while doing so with the glitz and polish of a seasoned TV reporter. She was delivering Trump’s message – but she was doing so without the spray tan and the guttural accent and the lack of eloquence. Rather, Lake delivered Trump’s message all pretty-like.”

On Greene, the report said: “Trump loves her and she loves Trump. And impressively, MTG seems to be pivoting into a position of more mainstream acceptance with the GOP (as demonstrated through her support of Kevin McCarthy for speaker). The version of MTG that can appeal to both MAGA and the mainstream is a concerning premise, and someone that Trump has his eye on as a prospective running mate with appeal in the newly-in-play Georgia.”

And on Noem, the report speculates: “The governor of South Dakota is apparently on Trump’s shortlist. Noem said she would be shocked if Trump chose her and I think she means it; she is a long-shot pick. But she’s got a few of the things Trump guns for. One, Noem has been loyal to Trump, vowing to support the former president through the 2024 campaign. And Trump values loyalty above seemingly all else.”

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Last week, Trump’s team shared some interesting insight into his potential running mate.

Trump insiders spoke to the Daily Caller and said the 45th president is likely to pick a vice presidential candidate that is “loyal,” has “charisma,” and is “ideologically aligned” with him.

“No candidates have publicly announced their intent to be Trump’s VP, but the former president has indicated that ‘a lot of people’ are ‘auditioning’ behind the scenes. Trump insiders told the Caller that although there haven’t been any formal discussions to narrow down the pool, there are a set of characteristics that will likely be considered,” the Daily Caller reported.

While the insiders did not name anyone specifically in the interview, they did at least share some insight into the type of person he would be interested in.

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A recent Politico report stated that an unnamed Trump adviser said the 45th president is likely to choose a running mate “from three general lanes of candidates: women, conservatives of color, or a trusted adviser.”

According to a report from the Washington Examiner, these four Republican women could be high on Trump’s shortlist: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Arizona Republican Kari Lake.

 

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